Comparing The Handmaids Tale And Brave New World English Literature Essay

Although The Handmaid ‘s Tale by Margret Atwood and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley entail different narratives, the societies portrayed in these two illustrations of dystopic literature still lack the cardinal freedoms required for a properly operation society to be. In these two novels, an person ‘s freedoms are stripped off by a authorities that controls every facet of the person ‘s life such as: cognition, individualism and relationship with others in order to keep stableness in a delicate society. In each novel, a dystopia is depicted through the usage of struggle to uncover the authorities ‘s censoring of cognition, the usage of subject to set up an person ‘s deficiency of individuality and the usage of characters to show the authorities ‘s control over relationships to ease a stable society.

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Throughout both novels it is evident that a dystopic society exists through the writers ‘ usage of struggle to exemplify the control of cognition from the yesteryear and to the present in order to hold stable society. For illustration, in The Handmaid ‘s Tale, all Handmaids are forbidden from reading or composing, this is an effort by the leaders of the society to command the cognition their citizens can use. This control extends over any signifier of written word, and if the regulations are disobeyed, there are effects: “ Scrabble! aˆ¦ . This was one time the game of old adult females, old menaˆ¦to be played in retirement villasaˆ¦when there was nil good on televisionaˆ¦ . Now it ‘s out, for us. Now it ‘s unsafe. Now it ‘s indecentaˆ¦ . Now it ‘s desirable ” ( Atwood 174 ) . In this society, Scrabble is considered “ out ” because of what it represents — freedom of look. The effects the leaders have imposed make a struggle between them and their citizens, thereby making the “ desire ” to play the game despite the danger associated with interrupting the regulations. The limitations over showing oneself is used as a signifier of maintaining citizens in their topographic point, accordingly maintaining the society stable and running, even though this comes at the cost of the freedom of each person. Along with the society portrayed in The Handmaid ‘s Tale, the leaders of the Brave New World society have sacrificed all past cognition of the universe, including art, scientific discipline and literature with the end of keeping a stable society. For illustration, as an foreigner, John ‘the barbarian ‘ has non had his past kept secret from him, and hence can non grok why such of import cognition should be kept secret: “ ‘Art, scientific discipline – you seem to hold paid a reasonably high monetary value for your happiness’aˆ¦’Anything, else? ‘ ‘Well, faith, of courseaˆ¦there used to be something called God’aˆ¦’Why do n’t you state them? ‘aˆ¦’For the same ground as we do n’t give them Othello ‘ ” ( Huxley 210 ) . The leaders of the authorities have rid their society of all things created in and associating to the past, such as literature or faith because there is a possibility that it will arouse one ‘s head and therefore make a rebellion or volatility in the society, endangering their stableness. Through an foreigner ‘s position, the control over the society is seen as dearly-won alternatively of helpful, making a struggle from feelings of resentment between John and the society ‘s government. The conditioning each member of the society is subjected to do them miss the demand to spread out their heads, turn outing the control the authorities has over their citizens in order for there to be stableness. Each individual ‘s single freedom is lost when they are non free to cognize what they want. Although both societies control the cognition of their citizens, there are differences in the fortunes and grounds behind it.

The deficiency of cognition to keep stableness has opposite effects in both of the societies. In Brave New World, the deficiency of cognition supports everyone content because of the government-forced conditioning they have been exposed to since birth. On the other manus, in The Handmaid ‘s Tale the deficiency of information creates the demand for rebellion since each individual knows what he or she has lost. Citizens of the Gilead society, such as Offred, do non hold with the values the people are coercing on them, including the society obliging each individual to bury the cognition of their yesteryear. Offred invariably reminds herself of her yesteryear, ignoring the societies ‘ beliefs: “ I wanted to experience Luke beside me. I have them, these onslaughts of the past, like faintness, a moving ridge sweeping over my headaˆ¦ . I know why the glass in the window is splinterless, and why they took down the pendant. I wanted to experience Luke lying beside me ” ( Atwood 64 ) . Offred has been restricted from all memories of her yesteryear, including those of her hubby. The hurting Offred feels as a consequence of non being able to discourse her past allows her to understand why person might perpetrate self-destruction. The struggle between the people and the leaders leads to the self-destruction of many citizens as a manner of arising because they know what information has been taken from them and are non able to populate without them. By taking off each individual ‘s history, the society is giving the freedoms and singularity of each person for the interest of the community staying stable. On the other manus, people of the Brave New World society are forbidden from cognizing certain information because the authorities knows they would non be able to grok it, so it is done for their ain good. Mustapha Monde explains to John, an foreigner unfamiliar with the manner the society is run, why there is a control over cognition, “ ‘We have n’t any usage for old things here. ‘ ‘Even when they ‘re beautiful? ‘ ‘Particularly when they ‘re beautifulaˆ¦we do n’t desire people to be attracted by old things. We want them to wish the new 1s ” ( Huxley 200 ) . Events from the yesteryear are non offered to the citizens of the society, John ‘s confusion towards the grounds that cognition is controlled leads to a struggle between himself and Mustapha Monde. The leaders of the society do non learn their citizens historical facts, maintaining them focused on the present to stay productive ; this has the opposite consequence of the control of cognition of the Gilead society in The Handmaid ‘s Tale. The want of cognition in order for stableness had come at a cost of each individual losing their personal freedoms, like the ability to broaden their heads through acquisition. When each individual ‘s cognition is controlled for there to be stableness, it consequences in a loss of individualism and individuality of the society ‘s people.

Both novels clearly show that a dystopic society exists through the writers ‘ usage of subject in order to develop the deficiency of individuality through both authoritiess ‘ demand for control for a stable society. For case, in the Gilead society each Handmaid is given a new name. This alteration in individuality offers how the authorities controls the individualism of each individual. Offred remembers her name and unsuccessfully attempts to remind herself that it is non of import, “ My name is n’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody utilizations now because it ‘s out. I tell myself it does n’t count, your name is like your telephone figure, utile merely to others but what I tell you is incorrect, it does affair ” ( Atwood 104 ) . The name that has been given to all Handmaids reflects the ownership of their Commander, and shows how the authorities controls their individualism by taking away the one thing that defines them from other people, their name. The alteration of the Handmaids ‘ names is a manner for maintaining each individual in their topographic point and the society stable. The name given to each Handmaid takes their independency off and makes them the belongings of another individual, hence turn outing the subject of deficiency of individuality in the novel. Likewise, in the Brave New World society, each individual is subdivided into a caste system that dictates what his or her occupation, societal ranking, and visual aspect will be. Each individual is conditioned to hold preconceived impressions about people of other castes: “ ‘Alpha kids wear Grey. They work much harder than we do, because they ‘re so terribly cagey. I ‘m truly terribly glad that I ‘m Beta, because I do n’t work hard. And so we are so much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupidaˆ¦Oh no, I do n’t desire to play with Delta kids. And Epsilons are still worse. They ‘re excessively stupidaˆ¦ ‘ ” ( Huxley 24 ) . Each caste in the society is different from the others, go forthing small room for individualism between people of the same caste, who must have on the same vesture and even look the same. For that ground, the subject of deficiency of individuality is developed through the caste system where it is impossible for there to be independent thought. It is this manner that the authorities keeps everyone in order and stabilizes the society by restricting the opportunity of rebellion through conditioning everyone into his or her ain topographic point in the society. Although both societies control the individualism of their citizens, differences still lie in the manner the individuality of each individual is controlled.

The control over individualism in each novel is accomplished though different methods in the different novels. In The Handmaid ‘s Tale, control is created from force and the fright as a consequence. While in the Brave New World, control is established through scientific discipline as a agency of making so. For illustration, the leaders of Gilead in The Handmaid ‘s Tale usage bullying and fright to yield people populating under their regulation in order for there to be a stable society. After populating under the regulation of the society, Offred has given up her hopes in order to merely last: “ I will make anything you likeaˆ¦ . I do n’t desire to be a doll hung up on the wallaˆ¦ . I want to maintain on life in any signifier. I resign my organic structure freelyaˆ¦ . They can make what they like with me. I am an object ” ( Atwood 357 ) . At first Offred did non desire to populate her life unless she was in control, at this point in the novel the bullying of the leaders of Gilead has caused Offred to give up her optimism. Furthermore, Offred ‘s spirit has been broken through the usage of fright and decease and now she wants to go an object, and give up her freedom, this demoing how the leaders are robbing people under their bid of their individualism, hence developing the subject of deficiency of individuality. The effort to interrupt down each person shows the importance the leaders have put on stableness of the society over everything else. In contrast, in the Brave New World Society, scientific discipline is used to make a deficiency of individuality by making many people out of one egg who will be precisely the same as the others and will so be conditioned to hold the same beliefs and ethical motives. The leaders of the Brave New World have new scientific disciplines that are used to make stableness: “ One egg, one embryo, one grownup – normalcy. But a Bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divideaˆ¦ . Making 96 human existences turn where merely one grew before. Progressaˆ¦ . If we could Bokanovskify indefinitely the whole job would be solvedaˆ¦ . The rule of mass production at last applied to biology ” ( Huxley 4 ) . Many people in the Brave New World are created precisely the same as many other people, mass production has been applied to human existences. All people have their lives decided before they are old plenty to do determinations at all. Therefore, the fact that all people come from the same egg and are precisely the same as each other develops the subject of deficiency of individuality in the society. Giving each individual as small pick over their ain lives as possible shows that the leaders of the society are seeking to make a stable society restricting independent idea and holding everyone in a preset societal place. In both The Handmaid ‘s Tale and Brave New World there is non merely a deficiency of individualism in order to maintain stableness, but there is besides the authorities ‘s legal power over relationships.

It is apparent in both novels that a dystopic society exists through the writers ‘ usage of character to demo the control of relationships for there to be stableness in the society. In both The Handmaid ‘s Tale and Brave New World, there is a deficiency of meaningful relationships, where two people may hold strong feelings for one another. For case, in Gilead, freedom to hold a relationship is non decided by the individual but alternatively is predetermined ; this creates a deficiency of love, shown specifically through the character of Offred. As a Handmaid, Offred is forced to be with lone one adult male, the Commander, whom she is supposed to experience no emotion towards, this leads to a feeling of emptiness and deficiency of love: “ There ‘s something dead about it, something deserted. I am like a room where things one time happened and now nil does, except the pollen of the weeds that grow up outside of the window, blowing in every bit dust across the floor ” ( Atwood 128 ) . Comparing her organic structure to an empty room shows Offred ‘s demand for love, with the room stand foring Offred ‘s desire and the “ things that one time happened ” mentioning to old meaningful relationships she one time had. The control over relationships in the society causes Offred to hold feelings of emptiness and “ unresponsiveness ” , demoing a dystopic society through the emotions she feels. The deficiency of meaningful relationships in the society are used to make stableness in the society by restricting the sum of emotions citizens feel, the less strongly a individual feels, the lupus erythematosus of a opportunity there will be a rebellion caused by strong emotions. Similarly, relationships in the Brave New World are controlled through the conditioning of each people to experience that sex should be treated lightly with no emotions attached to these strictly sexual relationships. Relationss with adult females are talked about really freely as if the subject were non personal in the society: “ ‘Lenina Crowne? ‘ said Henry Foster, repeating the Assistant Predestinator ‘s questionaˆ¦ ‘Oh, she ‘s a glorious miss. Wonderfully pneumatic. I ‘m surprised you have n’t had her. ‘ ‘I ca n’t believe how it is I haven’taˆ¦I surely will at the first chance ‘ ” ( Huxley 39 ) . Henry Foster and the adult male he is speaking to both talk of Lenina as if they do non acknowledge her as a existent individual and demo no emotion connexion to her. Sexual activity is shown as a free subject that does non give an uncomfortable conversation. Peoples in this society do non believe of sex as something to be done with a individual they have feelings for, they do it alternatively out of diversion. The cheapening of sex has eliminated emotions in the society and the opportunity for rebellion out of emotions. The forfeit of meaningful relationships is the authorities ‘s effort at making a successful stable society. Even though both societies control the relationships between their citizens, there are differences in the values and ethical motives that are taught to the citizens of each society.

In The Handmaid ‘s Tale, monogamousness is the value imposed on its occupants because of scriptural intents. However, in Brave New World promiscuousness is dominant because in their society a strong community will ensue in a secure society. For illustration, the Handmaids and their Commanding officers are required to hold sex merely with each other in order to reproduce, the Handmaid is merely allowed to make this with her ain Commander, therefore monogamousness is forced on Handmaids. Offred does non O.K. of the agreement with the Commander and herself: “ I do non state doing love, because this is non what he is doingaˆ¦ . Copulating excessively would be inaccurateaˆ¦nor would ravish screen itaˆ¦ . There was n’t a batch of choiceaˆ¦ . Kissing is forbidden between us. This makes it endurable. One detaches oneself. One describes ” ( Atwood 116-117 ) . Offred does non experience any emotion towards the Commander, she has sex strictly because she has been given no pick, she refuses to name this act doing love and this is because she feels no love. The society of Gilead uses the values and ethical motives described in the Bible. These values are forced onto the Handmaids in order to make their thought of the perfect society that is most significantly stable. Conversely, in Brave New World, it is taught that promiscuousness is the normal manner to act in their society. Linda, John ‘s female parent has been populating outside of the society she has been conditioned in and hence has contrasting values, which are thought of as depraved: “ aˆ¦the manner they have each other here. Mad, I tell youaˆ¦ . Everybody belongs to everyone else – do n’t they? ‘ aˆ¦hereaˆ¦nobody ‘s supposed to belong to more than one personaˆ¦and if you have people in the ordinary manner, the others think you are wicked and anti-social ‘ ” ( Huxley 109-110 ) . While Linda is on the reserve, she is judged for her positions on relationships, she was taught that it is common to non love because of the conditioning everyone has since birth, that manner the authorities eliminates the demand for any emotional fond regards and all meaningful relationships. Due to her conditioning, Linda is non able to grok any other life style other than promiscuousness. The ethical motives taught in the Brave New World society are a manner for maintaining everyone happy and unattached emotionally, and no 1 will hold any feelings to go forth the society they are in and Rebel ; this creates a stable society where single freedom is sacrificed.

Through both The Handmaid ‘s Tale and Brave New World, it can now be seen that dystopic societies will give the freedoms of their citizens because of their control over cognition, individualism and relationships of each individual in order for there to be stableness in the society. Through the usage of struggle, dystopia is established in both of the novels utilizing the control of cognition of the past and present in the society in order for stableness. In add-on, through the usage of subject, dystopia is established utilizing the deficiency of individuality of each member of the society in order for stableness to be in the society. Finally, through the usage of character, dystopia is established through the control of the relationships in each member of the societies. In order for there to be stableness in a society there must be forfeits made, particularly in a society that is considered dystopic.